This invention relates generally to a method for constructing a house or similar building using tilt-wall concrete panels, more particularly, it relates to a method of creating a high-strength, thin, thermally efficient concrete/foam panel by use of a reduced number of auxiliary devices, frames or molding elements.
It is well known to construct buildings for use as offices, warehouses, factories, stores and the like by the use of tilt-wall concrete construction techniques which are exemplified in the teachings of patents such as US Pat. No. 4,104,356 to Deutsch and Jones entitled "Tilt-Up Panel Bracket" and U.S. Pat. No. 3,555,763 to Bloxom entitled "Method of Forming Walls with Prefabricated Panels." However, the concrete walls created by these conventional building techniques have their greatest utility in what may best be described as commercial buildings, for the reason that the interior surfaces of such concrete walls are not considered suitable for sophisticated buyers of residential properties. That is, builders of residential properties recognize that conventional wood studs need to be added to the insides of concrete walls in order to provide space for insulation and utility conduits, as well as to provide an anchor into which nails may be driven when installing conventional interior paneling materials such as gypsum board (or sheet rock) or wood paneling. The expense and time of installing wood or metal studs to an existing concrete wall has meant that traditional tilt-wall construction techniques have generally not been considered economically feasible for residential construction.
In an attempt to obviate the economic disadvantage of attaching studs to a standing concrete wall, US Pat. No. 4,059,939 to Eilliott entitled "Prefabricated Building Unit" teaches the concept of casting concrete on top of a completed wooden frame of traditional size and strength, and ensuring a mechanical connection between the wooden panel and the hardened concrete by virtue of providing numerous long nails that protrude upwardly from the wooden studs into the cavity that is to be filled with wet concrete. Additionally, Elliott teaches the inclusion of prefabricated insulation boards between the concrete and the wooden studs, such that a three-quarter inch insulation board (for example) is captured between the hardened concrete and the interior wooden frame. While the teachings of Elliott might seem to go a long way toward meeting some of the objections of tradition tilt-wall techniques as they are applied to commercial buildings, there are still certain difficulties in adapting tilt-wall concepts to residential construction. For example, Elliott teaches that his concrete and wooden panels are best fabricated in a factory and then lifted by a crane onto a truck for transportation to a construction site. A crane would then be employed to remove a panel from the truck and lower it onto a prepared foundation. Such a process has several disadvantages, including the fact that a crane must be employed to first load the panel on a truck at the site where the panel is fabricated, and a crane is also required at the construction site where the house is to be built. This either requires the use of two cranes or the movement of one crane (a large and sometimes awkward piece of mechanical equipment) from a factory and along public streets to a residential building area. Furthermore, the Elliott process appears to offer no savings in materials as compared with previously known techniques for attaching wooden frames to the interior of a tilt-wall building. There has therefore remained a need for an economical and efficient technique for constructing houses and similar buildings in which the advantages of tilt-wall construction can be exploited in the fabrication of residential buildings asnd the like. It is an object of this invention to provide such a technique.
Another object is to provide a construction technique for standardizing the installation of utility conduits and the like by positioning them in a highly controlled environment such as a factory, rather than leaving their installation to the discretion or judgment of workers at a remote construction site.
Still another object is to provide an improved building panel for residential construction techniques in which a relatively thin wall panel thickness is achieved without any degradation of thermal efficiency.
A further object is to provide a relatively strong but economical and attractive building, using materials that are likely to be readily available in most developed areas.
These and other objects will be apparent from a reading of the specification and the claims appended thereto, with reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof.